[Chodi]

  Yes i agree with you. I just ordered mine and waiting to be delivered to my doorstep

You ordered the Taurus amp or the HD800 to go with a Taurus you already have? Either way we would like to hear comments when you get it all together.

 

[Chulta]

Hello everybody! Recently got myself a Taurus and I am very happy with it so far. My HD650 became a whole other headphone with it and it makes a my LCD-X shine a bit more than with my old Matrix M-stage.
 
I have some question though. With the LCD-X it seems to sound better when using the 6.3mm unbalanced compared to the XLR in balanced mode. The whole presentation seems richer and more balanced in some way and it is less fatiguing to listen to.
Is this to expect with the all the fancy difference in power and stuff? I
t is not really burnt in either could that have something to do with anything.
 
The XLR in balanced mode but to my ear the frequency response, (if that is the right term), kind of sound unbalanced to me with slightly more recessed low end.
 
Another thing I found slightly annoying that the when volume is turned all down with XLR I still get sound. Is this also to expect?

 

[project86]

The XLR and 1/4" output jacks each have their own sound. Neither is necessarily "better", they are just different. You'll probably find that you like the XLR jack better with some other headphones. It's fun to try both and see how each does with a particular headphone.
 
Sound with the volume all the way down - this is probably a function of the higher gain in balanced mode. As long as it is not very loud, this should not be a problem. It happens with some of my amps as well. 

 

[Chodi]

  Hello everybody! Recently got myself a Taurus and I am very happy with it so far. My HD650 became a whole other headphone with it and it makes a my LCD-X shine a bit more than with my old Matrix M-stage.
 
I have some question though. With the LCD-X it seems to sound better when using the 6.3mm unbalanced compared to the XLR in balanced mode. The whole presentation seems richer and more balanced in some way and it is less fatiguing to listen to.
Is this to expect with the all the fancy difference in power and stuff? I
t is not really burnt in either could that have something to do with anything.
 
The XLR in balanced mode but to my ear the frequency response, (if that is the right term), kind of sound unbalanced to me with slightly more recessed low end.
 
Another thing I found slightly annoying that the when volume is turned all down with XLR I still get sound. Is this also to expect?

I commented when I got mine that there was a BIG change in sound after just a few days of burn in. I was shocked at the amount of the change because in the past I have not believed much in burn in of solid state gear. My amp improved considerably after just a few days beyond that initial change I can't really say I heard much difference. My point is that you may want to give it a few days before reaching any conclusions. 
 
I also stumbled onto the fact that the trs jack sounds different from either se or balanced through the xlr. The gain through the trs jack also seemed much lower. Even in standard mode through the xlr the gain is higher. In my system since it is fully balanced from the source I eventually left it in the balanced mode with both my headphones through the xlr jack. Sounds wonderful to me. I did find that with the HD800 in balanced mode the gain is really high so I just set J River internal volume down a few db and that gave me more control at the amp without having any negative impact on the sound. 

 

[floydfan33]

Hello everybody! Recently got myself a Taurus and I am very happy with it so far. My HD650 became a whole other headphone with it and it makes a my LCD-X shine a bit more than with my old Matrix M-stage.

I have some question though. With the LCD-X it seems to sound better when using the 6.3mm unbalanced compared to the XLR in balanced mode. The whole presentation seems richer and more balanced in some way and it is less fatiguing to listen to.
Is this to expect with the all the fancy difference in power and stuff? I
t is not really burnt in either could that have something to do with anything.

The XLR in balanced mode but to my ear the frequency response, (if that is the right term), kind of sound unbalanced to me with slightly more recessed low end.

Another thing I found slightly annoying that the when volume is turned all down with XLR I still get sound. Is this also to expect?

I think power delivery is higher in SE than XLR at low impedance with the Taurus II, so you may have more headroom and dynamics with SE and your LCD-X. Per Auralic website:

Output Power (continuous in RMS)
STD Mode BAL Mode
32ohm 4500mW 1200mW
120ohm 1200mW 4500mW
300ohm 500mW 2000mW
600ohm 250mW 1000mW

 

[Chulta]

Thanks for the great answers. I suspected it might be a little of all that plays in to that I prefer the TRS over XLR. I only got about 30 hours on it but I suspect I will still prefer the SE when burnt in aswell but you never know. It says 100-500 hours in the manual and it is kind of exciting to see how things change with time. 30 hours has made a pretty noticeable difference from 0 hours.
 
Maby should get a balanced cable for my HD650 and see how they sound from the XLR. Although the sound improvement is night and day compared to my old setup.

 

[rydenfan]

Currently have LCD-X's and HD-800's in for demo. I have to say the 800 sound really, really good on the Auralic stack. I expected to be blown away by the X's (own LCD-2's currently) there is no doubt both pairs are better than my 2's but I am not sure which pair I will end up with. The X's definitely have a very warm and live sound but the 800's are so open and balanced and not nearly as bright as I have heard them before. I jus wish the 800's had a bit more meat on the bone but thinking an aftermarket cable would likely help. Going to be a few long listening nights for sure...

 

[Revogamer]

The taurus plus a good dac = no harshness whatsoever
 
Very enjoyable for the HD800's - I am running the Bryston BDA-2 with it and it is superb.
 
Although i don't think a cable will give it all the body you need, i still have the LCD-3's and currently trying the LCD-X's for that ;P

 

[Chodi]

Currently have LCD-X's and HD-800's in for demo. I have to say the 800 sound really, really good on the Auralic stack. I expected to be blown away by the X's (own LCD-2's currently) there is no doubt both pairs are better than my 2's but I am not sure which pair I will end up with. The X's definitely have a very warm and live sound but the 800's are so open and balanced and not nearly as bright as I have heard them before. I jus wish the 800's had a bit more meat on the bone but thinking an aftermarket cable would likely help. Going to be a few long listening nights for sure...

I am enjoying the HD800 on the Taurus also but for those times when I feel I want more "meat on the bone" I plug in my T1's and relax. There is a slight warmth to the T1's that mate beautifully with the Taurus. I am also interested to get the new HE560 to try when they are available. The amp is fantastic I cannot see any itch to upgrade this amp.

 

[rydenfan]

Thanks. I have not heard the T1's but may try and give them a listen

 

[MidnightRambler]

Can the Taurus mk2 be stacked safely on top of the Vega?
 
The Vega manual states it should have 1 inch of clearance above for heat dissipation.
 
The Taurus manual states it should have 5 inches of clearance above for heat dissipation making it logical to put on top of the Vega.

 

[Chodi]

  Can the Taurus mk2 be stacked safely on top of the Vega?
 
The Vega manual states it should have 1 inch of clearance above for heat dissipation.
 
The Taurus manual states it should have 5 inches of clearance above for heat dissipation making it logical to put on top of the Vega.

Unfortunately I don't have the Vega but I do have shelving with my Taurus on the bottom and the dac sitting on the upper shelf 8 inches above. The Taurus get Very hot in normal operation so I would not want my dac any closer. As it is, when I feel the bottom of the upper shelf at 8 inches it is not even warm. I suspect their 5 inch suggestion was really the minimum you would want to try. 
 
I envy you the Vega. I hope to add that at some point but at the moment the best I can find on the Vega through my local deal is $3500 plus the 7% vat tax. I must be patient.

 

[rydenfan]

  Can the Taurus mk2 be stacked safely on top of the Vega?
 
The Vega manual states it should have 1 inch of clearance above for heat dissipation.
 
The Taurus manual states it should have 5 inches of clearance above for heat dissipation making it logical to put on top of the Vega.

I currently have my Vega on top of my Tuarus. I may flip them eventually but neither seem to get that hot even after a few hundred hours of continuous play

 

[NZtechfreak]

I have my Taurus stacked atop the Vega right now, no issues so far.

 

[Larryonfire]

Just read the thread about toxic cables where I was considering a XLR cable for my HE-500, very funny but also kind of a sad read. Great sounding cables and fine work, but some guys waited up to 6-8 month before they got their cables. Frank should rename the shop toxic waiting

. I find another solution until Franks has hired some Elfs to help him.
One Taurus 2 should be moving in my direction